Undertow

Undertow is a ranged mass-manipulation power that allows Booker to use a stream of water to pull an enemy closer to him (hold the Vigor button) or to push them away (tap the Vigor button). Undertow can be found in The Factory.

Undertow can also be used as a means of pulling various enemies (if upgraded) into a devil's kiss trap or even a shock jockey trap. Undertow is also useful in the aspect that it can be used to knock enemies off Columbia even some heavy hitters such as the fire man or the crow. Can be used as a means of esape from a Handyman, especially when using a skyline.

Using Undertow and Shock jockey is also a requirement for unlocking the achievment/trophy Combination Shock.

Upgrades

Undertow Stun Effectiveness on Enemies

The Undertow Vigor has perhaps the most widely varying effect on the many different enemies in BioShock Infinite. Some enemies will be stunned by the Vigor, some will be damaged, and others will be merely pushed backwards (hopefully into the abyss).

Tips

If the upgrade has been acquired, and the player is able to use Undertow to grab more than one enemy, it is more ammunition-efficient to go to the side of the enemies directly after they are pulled in front of the player and shoot from the side, elimanting the need for greater accuracy or speed. The idea behind this is that once the enemy being shot at first dies, the enemy directly next to the first one will become the one hit by the bullets, making the system more efficient and keeping all enemies in sight.

Another way to quickly dispatch your enemies with an upgraded Undertow, is to bring your enemies to your a trap that you've placed. This trick is most effective when combined with the Shock Jocky trap, since the effect is roughly as effective as shocking an enemy who is standing in water, causing extra damage that could instantly kill weaker enemies while severely damaging the stronger ones. You can also pull the enemy in to a Devil's Kiss trap which will immediately incinerate multiple enemies.

Additionally, in outdoor areas if you stand near the edge of the map you can use an upgraded undertow to pull three enemies toward you and then another standard undertow blast to throw them off of the edge. This is espsecially useful if you are low on ammo or are being overwhelmed by large numbers of enemies. This can also be helpful when dealing with the stronger enemies whether it be the beasts or the fireman as it can knock them off or even push them back if you need to recharge your shield.

During the final battle, if you are having trouble with motorized patriots and have upgraded the range of undertow, you can pull them up to the sniper platform where they will be unable to do damage to the ship's core.